


Unrequited

by CaraMiaBambina



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types
Genre: Booty, Drunkenness, Eventual Romance, F/M, Light Angst, One-Sided Attraction, Pining, Togami has exactly 1 new emotion, death mention
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-11
Updated: 2017-09-11
Packaged: 2018-12-26 08:17:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,548
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12054966
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CaraMiaBambina/pseuds/CaraMiaBambina
Summary: A couple months after giving her the news about her brother's passing, Asahina and Togami find themselves growing a lot closer. A night of drinking leads to some discoveries within Togami that he's not sure he's ready to face just yet. And sitting in the bathroom of Asahina's apartment contemplating just what exactly these feelings are doesn't seem to be helping him a ton either...An indirect sequel to my short story entitled "Home".





	Unrequited

As morbid as it was, the death of her younger brother was what brought Aoi Asahina and Byakuya Togami closer than ever before. Since breaking the news of what happened to Yuta in Towa City, the two survivors of Hope’s Peak Academy found themselves gravitating towards each other more often; hanging out on their lunch breaks, actually acting more civil and polite towards each other, even exchanging the occasional text here and there. If anyone were to observe the two, it would appear as if a slow friendship and mutual respect had built up between them. 

Togami never expected the obnoxious, bubbly swimmer to become one of his closest friends over the next month or two. But she certainly had and, despite still bickering and the general annoyance she caused him, he would have to admit that he couldn’t ask for anyone else to take her place. She truly had become one, if not his only, best friend.

“You know,” He began one day in the break room, “if you keep eating those donuts you’ll get fat.” He smirked. He always took great pleasure in teasing Asahina. Her reactions never failed to amuse him.

“Shut up! I work out enough to keep in shape! I can still kick your butt you know!” She scowled, chocolate glaze smeared across her cheek.

Togami reached out and wiped away the offending glaze with his thumb. He lifted his hand to his lips and licked it clean, a smug grin crossing his features when Asahina’s face went bright red. He chuckled softly and brought his coffee cup to lips.

“Ugh! You’re so weird!” Asahina complained, rolling her eyes at his antics and trying to ignore the fluttering in her chest. She reached over and plucked another donut from the box laid out on the table.

“I’ve been around you far too long then, I suppose,” He replied over the rim of his coffee cup. 

Asahina didn’t bother gracing him with the usual offended reaction to that. Instead she munched rather happily on her doughy treat, pretending not to notice that Togami was watching her rather intensely. He seemed to be doing that a lot lately - staring at her. It wasn’t a creepy stare like some of the other men in the office could be accused of, in fact it was quite the opposite. It was a rather protective stare, a caring one. Like he was making sure nothing bad could happen to her; the type of stare you would give someone who meant a lot to you.

He cleared his throat and peered over her shoulder, a brow raised inquisitively at her before he spoke again. “I have a request of you. If you will, that is.”

Asahina turned to look at him directly, “And?”

“Naegi has invited us out for drinks to celebrate…”

“Yeah, so? What’s your point?”

“I wanted to know if you’d like to go together? That is, unless Hagakure has already asked to escort you…” The former heir’s face had gone slightly pink as he said that.

“Escort? What are you askin’ me out on a date, Togami? Gross!!” She laughed loudly, nearly doubling over. “And Hagakure?! No way! Not in a million years!”

“I meant it strictly in a platonic sense,” Togami grumbled, looking away from her.

Asahina laughed even harder this time, clutching her sides and having to wipe tears from her eyes. She always found Togami’s formality hilarious. The whole world was in ruins and no one really cared if he wasn’t professional all the time, yet here he was still using formal words like ‘escort.’ It was like he still lived in that mansion of his, (which was, by now, just a pile of bricks and burnt lumber thanks to the despair that riddled the world) with the sense that he would one day rule the Togami Conglomerate and be amongst the richest people in the world. But that was not the reality they lived. And although he still had his former riches, he did not have the status he once held. The Togami name didn’t mean as much as it had before the world fell.

“Yeah yeah yeah,” She waved him off. “I’ll hang with you tonight. I wanna ride home in your limo though!”

“Fine. And please refrain from getting too drunk, Asahina,” he warned. “I’m not going to carry you up to your apartment no matter how much you protest and beg. And I will not have my driver do so either.”

“Ugh! As If!”

* * *

 

The reason for tonight’s celebration was simple: The Remnants of Despair had all been caught and the boat to Jabberwock Island was set to sail in three days. Naegi and Kirigiri would be accompanying the cargo, with Togami following behind once the remnants were successfully inputted into the Neo World Program. They would need Togami to stay behind and act as the the acting head of Branch 14 for a short while, at least until Munakata’s suspicions were subsided. 

The group of former Hope’s Peak students (minus Fukawa, who was still running around Towa City with Naegi’s little sister) gathered together around a small table, traditional style. A bubbling pot of broth sat in the middle, while pitchers of beer and bottles of soju and sake filled all the empty spots of the table’s surface. There was just enough room for everyone to sit comfortably. The bar itself was old and dimly lit, the smell of old wood and the smoke from a greasy grill filled the air. It was the only bar around still in operation, unaffected by the world outside. It was incredibly small, the bar, with only enough room for the group and a few other patrons but it was homely - inviting. The bar tender and kitchen staff busied themselves by cleaning and re-cleaning their areas and equipment, just to stay busy. It certainly wasn’t a place someone like Togami would be caught frequenting often. It didn’t have the expensive taste rich men like him perferred.

Yasuhiro Hagakure, mass of dreadlocked hair pulled back into a wild tail at the back of his head and unkept facial hair making him look more like a homeless man than one of Future Foundation’s agents, stood up and waved to Togami and Asahina as they entered the premises. “Toga-chii!! Aoi-chii!! We’re back here!!” 

“We can see that,” Togami replied, a hint of sarcasm in his tone. Asahina gave him a light nudge in the side. He smirked at her disapproving scowl.

“You don’t need to yell Hagakure, this place is small enough as is,” She added, walking through the cramped bar to sit at the table with her friends. Togami followed closely.

Kirigiri smiled slyly, though her face quickly returned to its natural blank expression as soon as Togami was seated next to Asahina. “You two don’t usually arrive together. Is there something going on that we should know about?”

Naegi turned and raised a brow at the lavender haired detective. As did Asahina and Togami. Hagakure, on the other hands, downed a shot of sake and laughed, completely oblivious as always.

“We just decided to come together, since y’know, we’re just friends…” Asahina explained, clearly a little confused by Kirigiri’s intentions. She grabbed a pair of chopsticks and dropped a few vegetables into the hotpot. Togami poured her a drink from the pitcher of beer before pouring himself one. He ignored the intense gaze of Naegi and Kirigiri.

After a beat of silence the detective smiled a little more warmly, a leather gloved hand bringing a glass half full of amber beer to her lips. “I’m glad you two have started to get along more often these days…”

“Y-yeah!” Naegi chipped in, running a hand through his shaggy brown hair. “It’s good to see we’re still strong and holding onto hope for one another, you know?”

Togami hesitated, gently inspecting the cleanliness of his glass before taking a sip of the amber liquid. It was bitter and nothing like the fine wines he was more accustomed to, but not bad. Asahina followed suit, gazing awkwardly into the pot of boiling broth before reaching for a skewer of grilled meat to munch on while she waited for her vegetables to finish stewing. Naegi rubbed the back of his neck and laughed nervously, sensing the awkwardness.

Despite the awkward beginning to the night, the group managed to have a rather successful celebration. Glass after glass of alcohol was consumed, food was eaten and shared, laughter erupted from the former ultimates, the night went on like the world had been restored again. Hagakure had passed out rather quickly after consuming nearly an entire bottle of sake by himself. Naegi was red in the face, curled over the table and groaning while Kirigiri fanned herself with a gloved hand and slurred something about packing ginger tablets for the boat ride in a couple of days. Asahina was struggling to stay awake herself, her head leaning against a very warm and intoxicated Togami.

“I… I think it’s about time we call it a night,” Togami hiccuped, glancing down at a blurred vision of his wrist watch. Asahina nodded, her cheek rubbing against his wool suit jacket. Her ocean blue eyes struggled to stay open.

“Yeah uhhhhhhhhhhhhhh… We’ll uhhhhhhh…” Naegi slurred, also groggily looking at his own watch. “We’ll call for a ride or something. You got a limo?”

“Yes… I promised Asahina a way home. So you needn’t worry about her,” Togami explained. 

Naegi glanced over at Kirigiri, watching her as she fumbled for her cell phone to call for a ride. She groaned loudly and slumped forward as she dialled, her free hand clutching at her aching head. Togami slowly stood up from his seat, helping Asahina along with him and nodded a quick goodbye to the others. He swayed slightly as he walked with the former swimmer to the exit.

The cool night air brushed against their warm faces as Togami called for his driver to pick them up. Within minutes a sleek black BMW limousine had arrived, and Togami helped the brunette inside. Like a true gentleman, despite being drunk off his feet. 

The ride to Future Foundation’s staff apartments was quiet at first. Asahina was slumped over in her seat, and was breathing slowly, as if she would fall asleep at any moment. Togami tried his hardest to avoid looking out the windows to avoid getting car sick. He could handle alcohol a lot better than most of his friends but often found he got motion sickness afterwards. To try and distract himself, he focused all his attention on Asahina.

She was lying on her side, her backside towards him. Her shorts had ridden up slightly to look a lot shorter than they usually did. And he could clearly see the curve of her buttocks and the outline of the panties she wore under the skintight cloth. His face suddenly got much hotter, he could feel sweat form along his hairline. He tried to tear his eyes away from the sight, but they ended up right back on Asahina’s assets every time…

“I’m going to hell for this,” he muttered to himself, swallowing back the lump that had formed in his throat. He clamped his eyes shut. That seemed to last a solid thirty seconds before he felt the effects of motion sickness rising in him yet again.

“Asahina,” He mumbled. Then louder, “Asahina!”

“Mmm?”

“Move your rear out of my line of sight!” He demanded.

“Move your line of sight outta my rear!” she countered sleepily. The limo stopped abruptly, jostling them both around. 

“That makes absolutely no sense whatsoever! Besides, it looks like we’re here. I told you I wasn’t carrying you up to your apartment so… come on. Get up.”

“No YOU come on…” She responded, slurring the words. She sat up slowly and squinted at her surroundings before pausing on Togami. “Where are we?”

“We’re at your apartment,” Togami replied simply, happy that he wasn’t feeling car sick anymore. 

“Oh…”

“Come on, I’ll walk you to your door.”

* * *

 

“Do you… uh… want to come in?” She asked, swaying slightly as she tried to shove her key onto the lock. Togami raised a brow at her.

“Just for… y’know… a coffee or something… maybe some ginger tablets for the ride home.”

“Sure, Asahina. Thank you.”

The inside of her apartment was rather bare. A typical one room apartment, no tatami mats. The kitchen was cluttered with dirty dishes that had yet to be washed, the smell of old rice lingering in the air, while the bathroom looked absolutely spotless aside from the laundry hanging to dry in the shower room. The small entrance and kitchen hallway led to a spacious bedroom at the back of the apartment, a single futon was already laid out and waiting for her in the corner of the room. Which Asahina immediately flopped onto the moment she passed the threshold.

Togami seemed almost nervous to be here. Though he could not understand why. He’d visited Asahina’s apartment before, plenty of times in the last month or two, but somehow this visit felt different. She was curled up on her futon, hugging her pillow tightly. Togami stood awkwardly at the door, unsure of where to go and what to do. She looked like she’d pass out at any moment.

“Oh… Right… coffee…” Asahina sat up, frowning slightly as her intoxicated mind remembered exactly why she’d let him in. “You wanted ginger tablets too, huh?” she slurred.

“I know… You keep them in the bathroom cabinet. I’ll get them myself,” He spoke softly. “You go ahead and relax. I’ll make the coffee too.”

“Do you even know how?” She teased, smirking at him. “Or is that something you still get your servants to do for you?”

Togami pursed his lips in disappointment for a moment before he sighed in annoyance. He knew she was only joking around with him, but inebriated Togami was a different Togami from sober Togami. And inebriated Togami’s threshold for Asahina’s teasing was wearing thin. “I know how to make coffee, Aoi,” He simply replied, turning around to start the stove and bring a kettle of water to boil. 

He heard Asahina slump back into the sheets of her futon with a giggle. He rolled his eyes.

The apartment was silent again. The only sound was the click of the gas flame under the kettle and the drip drip drip of the leaky kitchen faucet. Togami was alone with his thoughts and all he seemed to want to think about in his drunken state was Asahina’s behind in the limo on the way to her apartment. He tried not to think about it, desperately thinking how he _should not_ be thinking about his friend like that. Other thoughts came to mind; how he would eventually need to join Naegi and Kirigiri on Jabberwock Island, how Fukawa was still running rampant with Naegi’s little sister in Towa City, how plump and pretty Asahina’s lips were… No… No he did not need to think about how kissable her lips were. No matter what he thought about, Togami always found himself thinking about the attractive brunette in the other room and how pleasant it would be to curl up beside her and let his inhibitions leave him for a night.

He poured the hot water onto the pre-ground coffee beans sitting in their little filter, watching the first few drips of black sludge-like liquid hit the bottom of the coffee pot below. Definitely not the standards of coffee he was used to back at his residence, but good enough to ward away the inevitable hangover for the time being. He waited for the grounds to saturate with water before pouring the rest of the boiling water over it. Still lost in his thoughts of Asahina in the other room.

“Togaaaaaaaaaaaaami!” A drunken slur from her main room.

“Y-Yes?” He called back, a little startled.

“Don’t forget the ginger… Please… I don’t want you getting sick…”

He smirked for a brief second before immediately frowning at the feeling of warmth in his chest. He could have sworn his heart had skipped a beat just now and that did not mean anything good… Right?

“I was just about to get it, Aoi,” He replied, turning around to open the bathroom door. Just one step and he was in the middle of a cramped, tiled room, staring at his reflection in a mirrored cabinet above a large sink. Next to him was the washing machine, already filled with a load of laundry. A bra hanging out in the open. He blushed and looked away from it as another swarm of dirty thoughts clouded his mind. 

He shut the door and pressed himself against it, sliding down to sit spread-legged on the floor. His head hung low, hair falling forward into his face while his glasses slid slowly down his nose. For a moment he didn’t know what he was doing here. Just why the hell had she invited him in when they were both drunk? Why did he agree to it? Why couldn’t he get her out of his damn mind right now? And God, why was his heart beating so fast every time he thought of her? Every time he looked at her or she smiled at him or…

_You’re in love, my dear,_ His mother’s voice rang in his ears. He could almost imagine the wide grin on her face as she tucked her long blonde hair out of her face. She wasn’t here at all anymore. Died when he was still a kid and left him alone to fend and fight for his place in the world. But he could sometimes remember her voice, or imagine what she’d say or do in any given situation… It helped. But she was wrong this time.

“I can’t be… She’s annoying… We’re constantly bickering… She’s obnoxious and rude. She’s rugged and defined and there’s nothing about her I should like at all. Why would she ever think of me the way I feel about her?” He asked, though there was no one to reply.

“Togamiiiiiiiiiiii~!” Asahina called again, her voice muffled slightly through the door.

He jerked his head up and felt that unfamiliar warmth again. His face burned red as he stood and collected the ginger tablets she wanted. Then with a swift movement he managed to stumble back into the kitchen and pour a couple cups of coffee for them. He made hers exactly how he knew she liked it - three teaspoons of sugar and a large splash or two of cream. His coffee he simply kept black. 

“There you are! What took you so long?” She asked as he entered her main room. She was sitting on the small couch she had shoved in the opposite corner of the room, across from her small flat screen tv and her closet. She looked a little more awake now.

“You’re impatient as all hell, you know that, right?” He retorted.

“I’m only impatient with you,” Asahina shot back. His heart jumped in his chest.

“H-here,” He shoved her coffee cup into her hands, before consuming the tablets. Then, as if afraid to sit next to her, he took a step back and sat down at the small table and chairs next to the couch. 

“Oh,” She gave him a curious look. “Thanks.”

“I’ll leave once I finish the coffee,” He stated flatly.

“You don’t have to leave so soo-“

“It’s late Hina. I should really get going. You don’t want your neighbours to think I’m doing something… illicit with you, do you?” He swallowed thickly, tugging at his tie nervously.

“What? Why would they think that?” She asked, sipping her coffee. “We’re just friends…”

“Friends… Right… We’re just… We’re just friends,” He repeated. Why was he suddenly so enraged by that? Why did he feel like screaming and yelling at her? Why did it feel like his heart had just broken in two? He scowled and sipped at his coffee to distract himself.

They finished their coffees in silence. Not even bothering to look at one another. When he was finished, he stood up, dumped the coffee mug with the other dirty dishes in the sink and headed to the door to put his shoes on. Asahina followed, her brows knitted in worry as she stood behind him and watched him. 

“Okay well… Um…. H-Have a safe trip home… I hope your stomach feels better,” She stuttered, her eyes giving away her sadness.

“I’ll… I’ll be fine Asahina. Thank you for the coffee, and the ginger tablets. I’ll see you soon… at work, okay?” He spoke over his shoulder. He couldn’t bear the thought of looking at her right now. If he did he might do something rash and unforgivable…

With that he left, shutting the door behind him and breathing in the fresh night air. He took a few steps forward, texting his driver to drive around and collect him, before he stopped and leaned against the railing looking out onto the streets. His chest hurt, his cerulean eyes stinging with tears. “D-Damn it…” He muttered, before walking off down that hall and towards the stairs.

He should have stayed…


End file.
